NDI Bangladesh was founded in 1985 and has had a permanent office in the country since 1999. Since then, NDI has worked with the political parties, civil society, and academics to strengthen and promote democratic values. Our goal in Bangladesh is to demonstrate how Bangladeshi political actors can re-focus their electoral and parliamentary strategies from one of confrontation to one of a focus on the constituent voters. This is done with three strategic goals in mind:

1. To encourage political party development through constituent service and voter appeal;
2. To promote the effectiveness of the Jatiya Sangsad and its committees; and
3. To increase the effectiveness of NDI’s election monitoring resources.

Our activities in Bangladesh fall under three broad categories:

1. Political party development, including women’s participation programs;
2. Strengthening Parliament; and
3. Election monitoring.

Our current activities are mainly funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under an agreement between USAID and the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), to which NDI belongs. This agreement was signed on September 29th, 2003 and covers the period from October 1st, 2003 to March 31st, 2007.